Can You Handle a Girl Like Me?

Growing up, marrying in and ultimately abandoning an Australian cult. Then learning how to make friends, live, love and thrive.

We all grew up under constant instruction— from the pulpit, from our parents, from each other. The Ten Commandments. Obedience. Submission. Purity. Fear God. Honour your leaders. Hell for the wicked. There was no space for questions because we already had the answers. If something felt unclear, that was our spiritual flaw. Pray harder.

In a sleepy Canberra suburb, Bek Condello was raised in a strict patriarchal Pentecostal movement. The influence of the Geelong Revival Centre extended deeply into the lives of the congregation, promoting discipline, dictating how girls and women behaved, who they socialised with and who they would marry.

After enduring a tumultuous marriage, Bek Condello made the courageous decision to start her life again. Anyone who leaves the GRC is cut off, from family, identity, history.

Can You Handle a Girl Like Me? chronicles Bek's journey through both challenges and transformation, sharing dating and friendship challenges. With little experience, she is rebuffed and exploited.

Through embracing healing and self-empowerment, Bek is now embarking on a second life of adventure and joy.